NGC 2070 was first
cathatlogued as a star: 30 Doradus. It was recognized as a nebula by Abbe
Lacaille on 1751.

The Tarantula Nebula is one of the largset skies
emission nebula. An easy target for southern stargazers, even with the unaided
eye in darks nights. NGC 2070 is the nearest extragalactic HII zone and the
larger in our local group, spreading an area of 3000 lights years. The nebula is
ilumiated by a young and hot star cluster located in the center, covering a
region of no more than a light year.

In 1987 in the east side of the nebula a
supernova exploded. The 1987A supernova was the first visible one after
1604.